Jowell says London must have a higher minimum wage

Tessa Jowell, one the people who hopes to be Labour’s candidate for London Mayor, has called for a new statutory higher minimum wage for London.

In an article for the Evening Standard Jowell has written:

“One in five Londoners aren’t paid enough to get by. Not less than they would like, but less than they need to live. These are the carers, cleaners and caterers that toil away to make our city work, but aren’t paid enough to support their families and pay the bills. That’s a scandal – and it’s time for action. 

“So let’s not just talk about higher pay, let’s deliver it. That’s what politics should be about: delivery. Let’s deliver a higher minimum wage for London and devolve the responsibility to enforce it to the boroughs and the Mayor. It would make a huge difference – even at just an extra pound an hour, it would be a £200million a year pay-rise for London’s lowest paid workers.”

Jowell has outlined 5 reasons why she thinks the minimum wage needs to be increased:

• the cost of living is higher in London, which is recognised in the pay schemes of many better paid workers
• there’s an increasing number of Londoners who are working but who are also in poverty
• the current low pay has a disproportionate impact on women and minority groups
• increasing the minimum wage could save money for the the tax payer
• it would also put decency and good citizenship at the heart of the city

Jowell also goes on to say that introducing a higher statutory minimum wage would only be the beginning on her vision to make London a Living Wage city.